Written in the sand
by goldenboat
Summary: Destiel AU- They say that matches are made in heaven. In Castiel and Dean's case, it was made across the fence. They grew up as neighbors,went on to become best friends and ultimately lovers . Dean is a renowned journalist and Castiel is a college professor. This is their story. When your husband is Dean Winchester, you don't get to relax. Ask Castiel and he'll tell you why.


"No..Joshy no …oh lord!" Castiel closed his eyes and sighed.

It's a cloudy morning and he's on his way home from his daily walk. And the reason of his sighs has jumped into the fifth puddle in a row.

Joshua Samuel Winchester looked up at his father with wide green eyes full of mischief and giggled, proudly showcasing his prime assets..three tiny baby teeth.

Really, Castiel hasn't relaxed for a single second ever since his son discovered that running is better than sitting around on dada's lap.

So when not working, Castiel spends most of these days running after a toddler who's like a baby monkey on a sugar high.

The blue eyed man knelt in front of his son to look into his eyes.

"No more jumpin.. kay?"

It's hard to discipline someone who still fills his diapers on a daily basis. Being a college professor, Cas can bring down a room full of rude twenty year olds with a single stare. But he is totally helpless in front of his pint sized audience.

"Pway da..pway bwum bwum." Joshy pointed at his jumpsuit which was embellished with tiny car motifs, prompting an eye roll from his dad.

Along with everything else, his son has also inherited Dean's love for cars.

Yes..Dean.

Castiel's boyfriend of three years.. husband of five ..and best friend for eternity. Father of his child.. man of his dreams.. and source of all his concern. Yes…that's his Dean.

Their story is anything but a classic.

Their families started as neighbors and ended up as close relatives…intertwined in every way possible.

Castiel's parents Charlie and Eve settled in Lawrence, Kansas after their marriage….so did Dean's parents John and Mary. Charlie was the English teacher in High School and John was the editor of a city news paper. Their little homes stood side by side with only a fence in between, nurturing two loving families.

When a pregnant Eve suddenly went into labour in Charlie's absence , it was John and Mary who drove her to hospital. His older brother Gabriel was born . And it was Eve who stayed with Mary in the labor room along with a freaked out John, when she gave birth to Dean. Soon Castiel and Sam came along in the Novak and Winchester clans to add to the merry little bunch.

Their moms did everything together. Going to Lamaze classes, shopping for diapers, worrying about rising prices and their rambunctious firstborns… and sharing tissues to dry off tears when their baby birds left the nests for a wider world. They were each other's kids godmothers…and second moms in every sense of the world.

Dean finished at the top of his class and went off for a degree in Journalism and Mass-communication with a full ride scholarship from Stanford. Gabriel went off to Harvard to be a doctor the same year. John and Charlie had never been more proud of their kids.

Dean had always been an enigma. To outsiders he appeared more as a rowdy teenager than a student. But those who had known him closely knew better.

Castiel and Sam, being the eternal geeks as they were, went to Stanford to study Economics few years later.

They had grown up as close mates..and yet Castiel remembers the shock he received when he saw Dean after all those years.

No. Stanford with all its glory had failed to rob Dean of himself. He was still the leather clad, kick your ass six different ways in a bar fight, astonishingly beautiful man that Castiel had crushed over.

Yeah that was the start. Dean had finished his degree at the top of his class and followed it up with another degree in International Relations. He became a foreign correspondent just as he dreamed…his insight in international issues making him the best in his field.

Castiel had always loved Dean…without realizing that Dean had loved him back as well with the same ferocity.

He would never have expressed his feelings.

It took Dean nearly dying from a mine explosion in war ravaged Somalia for Cas to realize how precious life was. The rest, as their moms fondly like to say, was history

Now here they were…almost ten years later with a little family and a fourteen months old who was too much like Dean for Castiel's comfort. The pregnancy in itself was a surprise. Cas was a tenured professor in a university with a husband who shuttled across the globe in every major tension zone…both incredibly busy with their respective jobs.

One heated 'welcome home' session against the living room wall after Dean made it back from terror ravaged Swat valley in one piece was all it took.

By the time Josh came wriggling out of his da's tummy nine months later, Sam and Gab had found their soul mates in each other as well.

So there you go….

"Daaaaa?"

Castiel's train of thought was broken by his little son who put his hands up at him in an imperious pick-me-up gesture that he mastered effortlessly.

"What Joshy? Wanna have a nap? " Castiel tried. They had made it back to their home after three more puddles and one exasperated dad.

Josh pointed at the TV and giggled.

"Dee?"

Castiel smiled sadly. Three more days and Dean would be back . He had been sent to Middle-East to cover another story.

Picking up the remote he jumped to BBC- World out of sheer habit. Dean tried to call regularly. But the nature of his profession made it impossible for him to keep in regular touch…especially so in remote areas.

Like now.

"Yeah Dee buddy." he uttered absently waiting for the stupid commercials to end. Dean's segment was always placed at the very beginning. And then he saw it.

**BREAKING NEWS : **

**SERIAL EXPLOSIONS IN WESTERN KURDISTAN KILLS HUNDRED INCLUDING TWO FOREIGN CORRESPONDENTS AND INJURES THREE HUNDRED AS THE SHIA-SUNNI BATTLE REACHES IT'S PEAK.**

It's the words that did it.

It was like any other news piece.. presented in the clichéd style to garner ratings.

Bright bold letters in a stark contrast to horrifying background images of mangled bodies and screaming people.

Two foreign correspondents.

Two foreign correspondents killed.

Castiel's mind kept on repeating this sentence as if in a loop. Clutching his baby to his chest he waited for the news….

he's good at waiting.

The anchor starts again,

"**In another act of unprecedented violence in Iraq, the Kurdi rebels exploded a series of car bombs in a busy market place in Arbil, the capital of Kurdish area. About hundred people lost their lives and another three hundred have been fatally injured. Another fifty people have been reported to be killed as two more car bombs exploded in Kirkuk in Northern Iraq. Two journalists of Sun TV network of have also lost their lives. Our special correspondent Dean Winchester reports…."**

Castiel closes his eyes in relief. He never thought he could ever be happy at the sight of such bloodshed. But he is. The screen fills with images of an arid desert type area and the camera pans to the left to catch the sight of a beautiful man. He is dressed in a faded green tee and jeans…and his sunglasses are positioned over his head.

Castiel drinks the sight of the man. His freckles have multiplied in the desert sun and cheeks have gotten ruddier. He has gotten a bit pale. But it's his Dean.

"Deeeee!" Joshy bounces happily at the sight of his beloved Dee prompting a gentle smile from his father. He concentrates on the news.

"**Thank you Karen. As you can see in the background…."**

And Dean begins his in-depth analysis of the situation. He interviews a few locals in their native Kurdi dialect very fluently, getting their side of the story in a friendly manner. And then he relates it back to the anchor, answering her questions along the way. The camera switches to a hospital where they show Dean talking with two teenagers who survived the blast.

"**And that's it from our side…Correspondent Dean Winchester reporting with camera person Kevin Tran, BBC- WORLD." **

Castiel switches off the TV and breathes deeply. It's like this always. He needs a moment to gather himself. The phone vibrates .

It's a message from Sam.

A tiny little heart.

Castiel smiles. It's their secret code to let each other know that everything's fine. Dean's ok.

Sam and Gabriel have been watching. John and Mary. His mom and dad.

All their hearts beating as one.

He can't wait for Dean to be back.

This time he'll never let him go.


End file.
